Welcome and thank you for choosing Canterbury Christ Church University as your higher education destination for the BA degree in Physical Education, Physical Activity and Sport. This is a unique employment-based one year ’top up’ degree where you will be learning to apply theory to practice in your place of work or where you volunteer. The BA 'top up' degree aims to develop your personal, professional and academic skills with module content that will extend your knowledge, skills and understanding through both theory and practical experiences. I am the Course Director and myself, and a dedicated team of tutors will support you at every step in your learning journey at Canterbury Christ Church University. I will meet you on the Welcome Day and look forward to sharing further information about the course with you all on this day.

Alison Carney
Course Director

Your Teaching Timetable

Teaching for your course will begin w.c 21 September 2026.

To help you plan your first few weeks, you can view an overview of the teaching activities for your course.

View your first trimester teaching timetable.

On a mobile device, click the arrow next to “Search” at the top right of the page to view your timetable.

If your course is taught in groups, the overview will show activities for all groups. You will only need to attend sessions for your allocated group.

Once teaching begins, your individual timetable and group allocation will be available in MyTimetable provided you have completed online registration and created your computing account.

Your Trimester 1 Modules

Professional Development in Physical Education, Physical Activity and Sport

Pedagogy for Practical Activities

Key dates

Academic Calendar: 12-week Trimesters (long break)

View key dates for this Academic Calendar for 2026-27 including when teaching starts and finishes and when you break for holidays.

Welcome

We look forward to meeting you during the course Welcome Day on Tuesday 15 September 2026 from 9am - 3pm.​

On this day you will meet the module leads and receive information about the timetable, module content, assessments and the support on offer to help you reach your full potential.

We will also be able to signpost you to important aspects of ​your academic journey at CCCU including registration, IT access, library and academic and wellbeing support.

Due to the nature of this degree course, the Course Director will also act as the Personal Academic Tutor (PAT) for all the students on the course. The Course Director is also a module lead in Trimester 1 (Advent) so they will see you every week when you attend on a Tuesday from September through to December. 

Getting started

Your Course

During ​​Trimester 1 (September - December) you will study the following modules:

  • ​Professional Development in Physical Education, Physical Activity and Sport – U19040 – module lead: Rich Little
  • ​Pedagogy for Practical Activities – U19042 – module lead: Alison Carney

Teaching will be at the University Sports Facility at Polo Farm Sports Ground, Littlebourne Road, Canterbury CT3 4AF. 

This is a 6-minute drive from the Canterbury campus with a free shuttle bus transporting students at regular intervals throughout the day aligned to the start and finish of lectures. 

Alternatively, there is free parking at Polo Farm for those driving.

Teaching

​​Teaching will be focused on theory and applied practice with lectures, seminars and time for practical learning.

​​The structure of the weekly sessions will be teaching for one module from 9am to 12pm and then the other module will be taught from 1 to 4pm over the duration of the trimester.

There are vending machines at Polo Farm and a kitchen with a microwave so you can prepare food for lunch if you so wish.

The first few weeks will be an ideal time to learn about the content and structure of each module and for the module lead to hear about your current workplace and the role and responsibilities that you have.

The integration of university learning to your workplace is essential in supporting your personal, professional and academic development.

We will also sign post you to the Learning Skills Hub where you can find additional support for your study, academic and research skills.

Blackboard

​​Blackboard is the virtual teaching platform where module leads will upload essential module materials and weekly lecture information, readings, assessment guidance and support.

If applicable, lectures will also be recorded through the University Recap system so that students can review learning outside of the timetabled sessions.

To help you prepare

​​Please bring a laptop, or similar, to each session to support note taking and research and be prepared to learn practically by wearing sport clothing. There are changing rooms at Polo Farm should they be required.

Your Must Do Tasks

Once you have been invited to register for your course, there are some key tasks you'll need to complete to make sure you are ready to become a CCCU student. 

Registration invitations are sent towards the end of August. We'll send yours to the email address you used when you applied, so please check this inbox regularly to make sure you don't miss any important information.

Pre-course reading

​​There is no requirement to purchase any books or resources before the course starts. We will share key readings with you, but you also be able to be access these resources through the university library digital platform.​ 

International student success programme

International students: don't miss out! Make sure you register for our international student success programme which provides practical advice on preparing to live and study in the UK.

Contact details

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